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Health and Safety

Executive

Making the best use of

lifting and handling aids

This is a web-friendly

version of leaflet

INDG398(rev1),

published 10/13

Frequent and heavy lifting and handling can cause back injuries. But using lifting

and handling aids can remove or reduce that risk and keep workers healthy and

at work.

This guidance is intended for managers, employees and their representatives and

others involved in the selection of lifting and handling aids.

Why are back injuries an issue?

Back injuries from manual handling are a major cause of occupational ill health in

the UK. But:

they can often be prevented; preventative measures can be cost-effective;

where back injuries occur, early reporting of symptoms, proper treatment andsuitable rehabilitation is essential.

There are health and safety benefits for employers if they control manual handling

risks by the use of lifting and handling aids such as:

improved/maintained productivity; reduction in retraining costs; limiting the options for liability; reduction of injury/ill health to employees.

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Executive

Making the best use of lifting and handling aids Page 2 of 7

Costs to employers case studies

Case study 1 Case study 2

Manual handling injury claims cost

a company 150 000 over a 3-year

period. This totalled 20% of their

employers liability claims.

Musculosketal disorders affecting

the back are a common work-

related complaint reported through

the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and

the latest results show an estimated

incidence figure of 51 000 cases for2011/12.

The LFS estimated that the main

work activities causing or making

back disorders worse (averaged

over the period 2009/102011/12)

were: manual handling (lifting/

carrying/pushing/pulling); awkward

or tiring positions and workplace

accidents.

In one year a firm lost 373 working

days because of manual handling

injuries. This cost about 24 000

in wages paid to absent workers.

There were additional overtime

payments and other costs. The

introduction of handling aids,

manual handling training, and a

rehabilitation programme reduced

days lost to 74 and wage costs to

about 5000.

Costs to employees case studies

Case study 1 Case study 2

A worker suffered back pain

resulting from repetitive heavy

lifting. He was off work for eight

weeks on reduced earnings

(sickness benefit). He was unable to

enjoy his usual leisure activities and

was worried that he would not be

able to return to his normal job. To

prevent a recurrence, the company

installed a hoist which removed the

need for manual handling.

A worker was placing a heavy

length of timber on a stack when

it slipped. He tried to catch it and

suffered an injury to his lower

back. He took bed rest and stayed

inactive for several weeks. He was

not advised to keep active and the

pain continued. Some months later

he received physiotherapy, but by

this time the injury had become

chronic and the treatment did little

to help. He is still in daily pain and

cant stay sitting or standing for

long. He is still unemployed several

years later.

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Health and Safety

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Lifting and handling aids case studies

Big bags Handling kegs and cases of beer

Employees manually feeding 25 kgsacks of material into a mixer had

back pain. Managers and employee

representatives worked together

to solve the problem. They started

using bigger bags handled by lift

truck and redesigned feed chutes,

dust extraction etc to allow use of

big bags. This:

avoided the manual handling;

reduced dust exposure;

reduced raw material costs;

reduced loading times from anhour to 15 minutes, improving

production.

The trials were so successful the use

of mechanically handled bags has

been extended to all areas.

Large containers and crates ofbeer were frequently delivered

into a deep public house cellar by

lowering:

kegs down a steep inclined skid

using a looped rope; and

cases down a plank alongside

the skid also using a rope.

The kegs were sometimes

damaged and were difficult to

return up to street level.

A powered cellar lift was installed

which lowered/raised kegs and

crates between street level and

the cellar floor. This avoided much

of the strenuous manual handling

and resulted in less damage to

containers.

Another problem is pushing

empty beer kegs up skids from

the pavement onto the brewery

vehicle. This can be avoided by theprovision of swing-lift hoists or side/

tail lifts on the vehicle.

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Health and Safety

Executive


How can you avoid or reduce the risk from frequent and heavy lifting?

,r

,

Pa

stillagesr

Poweredtrucksand

trolleys,

vehiclesetc

Non-poweredtrucks,

trolleysanda

ids

Tracks,

conveyors,

slid

es/chutes/rollerballs

Ball table and rollersGravity rollersConveyor with turntable

Truck with

hydraulic liftKeg truckPallet tilterPallet truckShelf trolley

Lift truckDrum/reel rotatorPallet converterLift truckBattery -operated truck

In-line weighingRoller track

ROW

M

Some

examplesofsolutionsusinglifting/h

andlingaids.

Consider

avoidinghandlingorreducingtheunitweighttoo. A

djustableheightdevices,

rotaryandtilttables

Mechanicalhoists

and

vacuuml

iftingdevices

Other

TV trolley with suction

cupsBattery-powered tugBin tilterLifting hook

Vacuum hoistReel lifting headTub hoistVacuum hoist

Conveyor and vacuum

hoist

Rotary tableReel trolleyAuto-levellerSheet/trolley table

Adjustable

height turntable

Gravity feed racking

Bag, sack box

etc handling

Bales, eels, barrel,

drum

keghandling

cking and unpacking

pallets, and

containers

Moving sheet

materials

Storing,

warehousing/orde

picking

Bag,sack, box

etc handling

Bales,reels,barrel,

drum,

keghandling

Packing and unpacking

pallets,stillages and

containers

Moving sheet

materials

Storing,

warehousing/order

picking

RO

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Health and Safety

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Goodsdispatch/delivery to

site/domestic premises

Setting and

maintenancetasks

Portering,cleaning

and wasteHandling*

Poweredtrucksand

trolleys,

vehiclesetc

Non-powere

dtrucks,

trolleysandaids

Tracks,

conveyors,

s

lides/chutes/rollerballs

Van loading

boomSlide sheet

Star- wheeled truckWheeled toolboxCylinder trolley

Stair- climbing

wheel chair

HGV-mounted

lift truckHoist on vehiclePowered tugStair lift

Sliding dies (low

friction surface)Mobile belt conveyor

Adjustableheight

devices,

rotaryand

tilttables

Mechanicalhoistsand

vacuuml

iftingdevices

Other

Roll cageHand protectionMop bucket on wheelsHand rails

Tail liftValve lifting jigEngine hoistStand-aid hoist

Mobile conveyorPlatform truck

Spring-loaded

laundry trolleyAdjustable height bed

* Take care to select aids which take clients condition into account

Goodsdispatch/delivery to

site/domestic premises

Setting and

maintenancetasks

Portering,cleaning

and wasteHandling*

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Lifting and handling aids case studies

Order picking Stacking packaged items

Staff selecting items for customerorders from storage racking

suffered sore backs, necks and

shoulders through repetitively

stooping and reaching to pick up

the items. Installation of gravity

feed racking for many products

prevented the need to reach to

the back of the shelves. Heavier

items were stored at waist height

where they could be slid onto

the collection trolleys. Turntables

were provided, enabling pallets to

be rotated once items had been

picked from the front, eliminating

most of the reaching.

A firm identified production andhealth and safety problems during

the manual stacking of packaged

items. These were placed into

trays on a wheeled dolly at the

end of each production line. The

tray stacking height varied as

more packages were added. An

auto-leveller was provided to solve

this problem. This improves the

operator posture. The installation

increased productivity by 45% and

controlled the risks. The capital

payback time was five months.

Unpacking fruit Loading pallets

Staff in a supermarket were

experiencing back problems from

stooping to empty fruit boxes from

flat bed trolleys. The company

introduced a foot-operated

hydraulic platform truck, so theboxes could be emptied at the

same height as the display fixtures,

which eliminated stooping.

Employees loading small packs

of product from a conveyor

onto pallets frequently reported

backache and had time off work.

The work involved repetitive

bending and reaching across thepallet. The problem was solved by

installing a scissor lift with turntable.

Other solutions for heavy items

include the use of vacuum hoists or

automatic palletisers.

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Health and Safety

Executive

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Health and Safety

Where can you get more information about manual handlingcontrols?

Manual handling: Solutions you can handle HSG115 HSE Books 1994ISBN 978 0 7176 0693 1 www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg115.htm

The HSE website, www.hse.gov.uk/msd, contains: case study material about manual handling assessment and controls;

references for sector-specific manual handling guidance;

online training in the use of MAC, the Manual Handling Assessment Charts. Assessment of repetitive tasks: ART tool INDG438 HSE Books 2010

www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg438.htm

Further information

For information about health and safety, or to report inconsistencies or inaccuracies

in this guidance, visit www.hse.gov.uk/. You can view HSE guidance online and

order priced publications from the website. HSE priced publications are also

available from bookshops.

This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance

is not compulsory, unless specifically stated, and you are free to take other action.

But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with

the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and

may refer to this guidance.

This leaflet is available at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg398.htm.

Crown copyright If you wish to reuse this information visit

www.hse.gov.uk/copyright.htm for details.

First published 10/13.

Published by the Health and Safety Executive 10/13 INDG398(rev1)

Factors to consider when selecting lifting and handling aids

Involve employees and safety representatives during assessment and whenconsidering possible solutions, so that you can be sure what you propose will

work in practice and wont introduce any new hazards.

Seek advice from suppliers on the suitability of new lifting and handling aidequipment for your business.

Check equipment is CE-marked and within the safe working load. Consider what maintenance will be required. Consider whether the equipment will suit the area it will be used in, eg is

there enough room to manoeuvre or enough headroom?

Check that the equipment is suitable for the floor area in terms of stability andground surface.

Consider other factors associated with introducing lifting and handling aids,eg site safety, training, information and support.

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